Dear Readers,
It is Thursday the 10th of November and we are here again.
I have recovered from jet lag from the long trip back from Lord Howe Island to Stockholm and can slowly see the light again. Speaking of seeing, I am also “recovering” from an eye operation. I opted to get multifocal lens implants which do come at an extra cost, but they say that I will then NOT need to use glasses ever again, and that is a relief. Let us hope I can recognize the wife after the vision gets back to normal, but it is also a reminder that age is creeping up. Slowly, like an old car, the spare parts come into play, and if it is not the eyes then it is the legs, hands, and whatnot. Like my mum says: “Difficult to grow old as we never tried it before”.
But overall, I am very happy that I DID visit Lord Howe Island–something that I always wanted and now it’s done. One down and several to go. I aim to tick off things more regularly than before and use the time that is given wisely.
Regrettably, age doesn’t make me wiser, it seems as I found out this week. After having had a nice long dinner with Hutchison Port of Stockholm, the next day I was simply in no state to do much–let alone drive a car. Yet, as we all know, in our minds we are young, but the body just won’t cope, and it does take longer to get back on top so to speak!
Anyway, for a moment there during the evening I was flying, and I am beginning to understand what makes people crave for a “high”. Most of us crave something whether or not it is good for us I guess, and I am definitely no different. However, the wife’s angry stare made me remember to let it be a long time before I return home “early” again.
Midterm elections are on in the US, and the usual show has started again. Why do they need midterm elections? Isn’t it enough with elections every four years? Perhaps someone could explain that to me. It seems a costly affair, and it seems that the US should focus on other things at hand instead of another election circus in the middle between two presidential periods.
The rhetoric and almost hate between the “warring factions” is really something else. To some extent, it would seem to the outsider as if democracy is somehow broken, especially due to the very low voter turnout. In my view, voting should be mandatory. We have no right to complain if we don’t get up from the sofa and really cast our vote. Let us see what happens, and I suppose we will know soon enough.
On the shipping front, rates are finally coming down to more “reasonable” levels, and the nose of most shipowners is now gradually returning down to a normal state. That is something to be thankful for. The jury is still out when it comes to success or not of owners actively trying to act as freight forwarders, but certainly they do have a war chest of funds that they need to put to work as it is all about shareholder value nowadays. Yet, those ideas do not always see eye-to-eye with the original founders of the company. More often than not, the original founders had vision, ideas, and could build something from scratch, whereas the ones taking over are hardly innovators. Additionally, rest assured that if the new leaders fail, there will be a large parachute shielding them from a hard landing. We see that also in the public service and government sectors. More often than not, incompetence and inability to meet budgets is actually somehow “rewarded”. Networking is also key here, and even though you screw up in a major government position, at least here in Sweden, you don’t need to fret. There will always be an embassy vacancy somewhere or you can be sent down to the Mickey Mouse European parliament, in business class of course!
On the network front, as you know I am chairman of both www.clcprojects.com and www.cross-ocean.com. It has been decided that the locations for 2023 will be as follows: Budapest, 1st week of June (can combine with Breakbulk Europe in Rotterdam) and then Mauritius, 2nd week of October. More shall be forthcoming about this.
Well enough of my deliberations. We need to return to actual business.
We start off by talking to:
1. CIMC – a major Chinese company involved in container production and other kinds of steel fabrications; they’ve got an interesting new flat rack product called TSD Rack for OOG cargo.
2. Swift Cargo in India – a strong local player; also very experienced in airfreight and charter flights.
3. We re-publish a great interview we had with Hutchison Ports Stockholm and their CEO Mr. Lawrence Yam.
Then, we, of course, provide you with shipping news, trade intel and wise words. We also offer you a featured video and photo of the week.
Wishing you all the best and until next week, I remain,
Yours sincerely,
Yours sincerely,
Bo H. Drewsen
bo.drewsen@projectcargo-weekly.com
Video Interview
CIMC – TSD Rack – Shenzhen, China
Richard CAI, Licheng, Director New Business CIMC TSD – Shenzhen, China was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at PCW
Video Interview
Swift Cargo – Mumbai, India
Harish Pandeya, Managing Director at Swift Cargo, Mumbai, India was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at PCW
Video Interview
Hutchison Ports Stockholm
Lawrence Yam, CEO at Hutchison Ports Stockholm was interviewed by Bo H. Drewsen, Editor in Chief at PCW
For Isolated Russia, Arctic Shipping Lanes Hold New Allure
Editor’s Note:
Here latest from Arctic Today about the Northern Sea Route. Cold for Russia overall and certainly also in their northern shipping lanes but who can trust them now or ever again? It remains to be seen.
With Russian trade pivoting from Europe to Asia in the wake of Ukraine war sanctions, the Northern Sea Route could become a key shipping artery.
New Cargo trends Taking Over the Supply Chain on the New Silk Road
Editor’s Note:
Although its not really shipping as in ship… railway freight DOES play a big role, but the question now is what routing in order to avoid the Russian territory? It is indeed possible, so perhaps this European Silk road Summit is worth following?
The European Silk Road Summit 2022 will take place on 7 and 8 December in Duisburg, Germany. Over 300 international logistics professionals will meet each other at the 6th edition of the event.
Xi’an, Zhengzhou and Chengdu all launched new China-Europe rail services in October. Their common denominator? New energy vehicles (NEVs) occupy the train capacity and provide a glimpse of Silk Road cargo trends. The new cargo type is quickly taking over the supply chain since the Chinese Ministry of Commerce allowed its transport by rail in early September. New cargo trends will be discussed further at the event.
World Container Index: Drewry’s Weekly Assessment
Editor’s Note:
Latest forecast – rates keep on sliding …..to more sustainable and normal levels one might say.
Drewry’s composite World Container Index decreased by 9% to $2,773.49 per 40ft container this week.
October 2022 M&A Market Recap
Editor’s Note:
As we grow older we may wish to enhance our golden age and thus merge/acquire or sell out. One of the better ones in the M&A logistics field seems to be Logisyn..
Logisyn’s monthly M&A report keeps you up to date on the latest Logistics and Logistics Technology Deals, along with other industry-related M&A activity.
10000MW of Electricity in Nigeria to be Developed Through Power Africa program
The US government has affirmed its commitment to the development of 10000MW of electricity in Nigeria. This will reportedly be carried out through its partnership program, Power Africa. The assurance was given when the US-led Power Africa Coordinator, Mark Carrato, met with Nigerian government officials, service providers, federal regulators, and other development partners, as part of the itinerary for his four-day official visit to the country.
Wild Fork to Invest in Nuevo Leon
The government of Nuevo Leon announced that the company Wild Fork, located at the border point of Colombia, will invest more than US$10 million in the construction of a new plant.
VW Group Places Major Order for 1,300 Fanuc Robots
The Volkswagen Group (VW) has placed a major order for 1,300 robots with leading industrial automation specialist Fanuc. Through this year and 2023 they will be installed in four VW European plants to support production of both Audi and VW models.
Akobo Breaks Ground on Ethiopia Project
Scandinavia-based Akobo Minerals has broken ground at its Segele gold mine, in Ethiopia, which it says marks an important milestone on the path to gold production in early 2023. “When excavation began today to remove the overburden at our mining site in south-west Ethiopia, it was the culmination of over a decade of tireless work for the company.
Landing in Sydney from Lord Howe Island
Editor’s Note:
Landing in Sydney coming off Lord Howe Island is fantastic when the weather is great, bit bumpy but that day 29/10 it was nice…you even get a glimpse of the Port Botany Container Terminal where I last visited whilst onboard mv CMA CGM Georgia as passenger enroute to Melbourne.
Editor’s Note:
Although PCW is not “sold to anyone” in particular of the shipowners we must give full credit to MSC who had a stunning booth at the recently held AntwerpXL fair at Antwerp last month. At least it epitomizes what kind of shipping they are about until now at least…
